As new technologies continue to be developed resulting in internal combustion engines, compressors, etc. having increasingly higher performance criteria such as higher power generation, it has required that certain components of the internal combustion engines, compressors, etc., especially the surfaces of components in sliding contact with surfaces of other components such as piston rings and cylinder liners, have increasingly better wear, scuffing, peeling and corrosion resistance.
The outer peripheral surfaces of piston rings and in some cases cylinder liners made of cast iron or steel have been subjected to various surface treatments over the years. Such treatments have included, for example, nickel composite plating, hard chromium plating, thermal spray treatments, and the like.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,562,480 B1 discloses a wear resistant coating for protecting a surface undergoing sliding contact with another surface such as piston rings and cylinder liners of internal combustion engines. The wear resistant coating is applied by HVOF deposition of a powder which comprises a blend of about 13 weight percent to about 43 weight percent of a nickel-chromium alloy, about 25 weight percent to about 64 weight percent chromium carbide, and about 15 weight percent to about 50 weight percent molybdenum.
While some of the surface treatments have been found to be suitable for certain applications, the newer technologies require improved surface treatments that provide excellent wear, scuffing, peeling and/or corrosion resistance, in particular for applications involving surfaces of components in sliding contact with surfaces of other components such as piston rings and cylinder liners. Current surface treatments have been found to be inadequate in one or more properties for the newer technologies.
Especially for the newer internal combustion engine, e.g., diesel, and compressor technologies having increasingly higher performance criteria, a need exists for powders and coatings that can be deposited by thermal spray devices and that exhibit excellent wear, scuffing, peeling and/or corrosion resistance. A need exists for developing new powders and for thermal spray deposition of wear, scuffing, peeling and corrosion resistant coatings for components of the internal combustion engines, compressors, etc. It would be desirable in the art to provide powders and coatings that can be deposited by thermal spray devices and that exhibit excellent wear, scuffing, peeling and corrosion resistance for components of the internal combustion engines, compressors, etc.